April 1, 2020

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) has launched a new live interactive digital forum called – Brave New Business – designed to connect, share and inform. Created with our industry partners at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and Kitchen & Bath Business (KBB) magazine, the initiative is grounded by a weekly live video conference, providing information and resources on timely topics associated with the work of all industry professionals.

Hosted on Thursdays at 2pm (Eastern Time), each forum will feature special guest(s) subject matter experts. NKBA CEO, Bill Darcy hosted the first event, and guests include NKBA members Kerrie Kelly, creative director of Kerrie Kelly Design Lab, Nar Bustamante, principal of Nar Design Group and Chip Wade, owner and lead designer  of Wade Works Creative. They shared their experiences, concerns and thoughts about how they are adjusting and where they see the market and their businesses heading in the wake of COVID-19 and beyond.

To watch Episode 1 on the NKBA YouTube channel, click here.

“It’s a stressful and challenging time. Everything about our daily lives is impacted,” said Darcy. “We want to provide a space for our industry to interact and support each other, as well as arm them with useful information and resources to effectively navigate this new business environment. Community is such an important part of our association and with these forums we can continue to build relationships and be empowered during this time of uncertainty and fear.”

Brave New Business will be hosted live on Thursdays at 2 pm (Eastern Time) and feature thought leaders across all segments of the business in a free online forum. They’ll cover topics of critical interest to kitchen and bath design, remodeling, manufacturing and distribution, as well as survival tactics for small businesses and independent operators. These discussions will share best practices, experiences and advice, and serve as networking opportunities.

Darcy will host the second episode, airing Thursday, April 9, featuring John Burns, founder of the highly respected John Burns Real Estate Consulting firm. They’ll discuss “What We Know So Far — The Impact to Housing, Remodeling and Supply Chains.” Join us by registering here: bit.ly/BNB02.

Upcoming topics and special guests include: (programming subject to change)

Thursday, 4/2

 Brave New Business: Forward Thinking

Special Guests: Kerrie Kelly, creative director, Kerrie Kelly Design Lab; Chip Wade, owner and lead designer,  Wade Works Creative and Nar Bustamente, principal, Nar Design Group

Thursday, 4/9

 What We Know So Far: The Impact to Housing, Remodeling and Supply Chains

Special Guest: John Burns, CEO, John Burns Real Estate Consulting. Join us by registering here: bit.ly/BNB02.

Thursday, 4/16

 Weathering the Storm: Navigating the Stimulus Package

Special Guests: David P. Murphy, senior vice president, The Murphy Wealth Management Group and James Jack, the Head of the Business Owners Client Segment for UBS Wealth Management USA

Each live forum will be recorded and posted to the NKBA YouTube Channel and shared across the social platforms of NKBA, KBIS and KBB. A calendar of upcoming topics and special guests can be found on NKBA.org.

Need to Know Now
The NKBA is also launching a video program called Need to Know Now as a method to share industry generated best practices and advice in the midst of this new business climate. Content will be shared across the NKBA, KBIS and KBB social platforms. Anyone with content they would like to have considered should email info@nkba.org.